Magistaire Chronicles: Shadows of the Past

Chapter 7

It hurt to grin, but Ayko beamed at his new teacher regardless, the foliage spinning as he jumped to his feet.

He clutched the side of his face, stumbling behind Chestplate while Hazelmere held onto his free arm.

"Do fight through it," Chestplate said, glancing from the corner of his eye. "There's a time and place for pain. That Ursa will be back now that we've pissed it off."

Ayko slowly nodded, reluctantly agreeing. He'd been outmatched, as much as he hated to admit it. "I'll finish it off some other time," he declared.

"Speaking like a tough guy doesn't make you one," Chestplate replied.

The throbbing pain in Ayko's head grew with each step he took, with Hazelmere's arms buckling as he leaned against her. His vision blurred, but the outlines of trees grew dense in number, as did the bushes. Accompanying the growing foliage brushing against his scuffed legs was an old hunter's cabin that rose into the young man's line of sight.

Ayko squinted, sneering at the assortment of splintered walls, smothered by trees whose naked branches etched cracks into the windows.

Chestplate stopped at the cabin's steps, placing his hands on his hips. "A charming abode, is it not?"

Hazelmere tilted her head. "It's...quite lovely."

"Ha!" Chestplate bellowed. "Is that so? And what do you see?"

The half-elf's lips trembled, but she spoke when Chestplate nodded. "I see a cottage—stone, covered in moss and surrounded by water." Her nose twitched when she sniffed the air. "I also smell...incense."

"Nice!" Chestplate clapped his gauntlets together. "And you, my little novice?"

Ayko squinted again, wincing in pain as he did so. "I see a shit hole."

"You and me both!" Chestplate laughed. He strutted up the steps. "Conjured this place myself; Faehome, I like to call it. Everyone perceives it differently—some see a cabin, others a humble little cottage, and some don't see anything, like my friend over there," he said, gesturing at Arzen, who stood off to the side.

"Hmm?" Hazelmere shot the brooding giant a glance. "But why?"

Chestplate whirled around, placing a hand on the front door's knob. "It's simple, my dear. He doesn't want anything. Nothing he doesn't already have, anyway." He smirked. "Now..." he began, swinging open the door. "Who will enter first?"

Ayko furrowed his brow while Hazelmere gasped. A black void stared back at him, and an icy breeze flowed from it, blanketing his skin in goosebumps.

"She's snippy, but she won't hurt you," Chestplate said. He stepped to the side and held out a hand.

Ayko swallowed hard but squared his shoulders. "Don't have to tell me twice," he said, placing a hand atop Hazelmere's. His friend released him from her grasp, a murmur falling from her lips when he stepped forward. The cold gnawed at his skin when he stumbled up the steps, making him tremble when the darkness enveloped him.

"Share with her your thoughts and desires," Chestplate said behind him. His words were followed by the thump of the door slamming shut.

A wisp burned a hole in the darkness, followed by another and two more, their glow revealing the candles that were their bodies. The square room also lacked furniture, save for the table beneath the burning columns of white wax.

Ayko raised an eyebrow and looked around, scratching his head. Share with her your thoughts and desires, Chestplate had said. Whatever that meant.